


Farewell

by Cornerofmadness



Category: The Big Bang Theory
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 15:03:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13977615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornerofmadness/pseuds/Cornerofmadness
Summary: They’ve come together to say goodbye.





	Farewell

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer** \-- I don’t own them.
> 
> **Warning** \-- angst
> 
> **Author’s Note** \--Written for the picfor1000 challenge at dreamwidth/livejournal. At first glance, I thought my prompt was an ice cream cone but it’s probably a spiral-carved pineapple. I’m going with ice cream. I had nothing for this prompt, but today Stephen Hawking died, and this story tumbled out. A few years ago I faced the same thing for this challenge, and then Leonard Nimoy died and I used this same crew to express my sorry (we have the same heroes as it turns out). If you want to see that one you can find _The Sky Wept_ [ here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3450644)  
> [ Photo Prompt here](https://unsplash.com/photos/D_IG_9elRQQ)

XXX

Amy glanced at Penny, realizing this solution to their problem came with many issues. She and Penny liked the beach – well, Penny more than she – but the guys more or less hated it. It was a testament to the deep sadness in their hearts that made Leonard, Sheldon and Raj agreed to the hour-long, traffic-choked drive, and follow them out onto the sand, though Raj seemed more copasetic about it. Penny had brought a huge beach umbrella, shading everyone but her and Raj. Amy remembered to haul along the crazy series of skin products Sheldon insisted on. Some days she contemplated their upcoming nuptials, and wondered what the hell she was thinking? I love him, that’s what.

“I can’t believe he’s gone,” Raj whispered, his voice tight.

“I can’t either.” Leonard rested his hand on Penny’s.

“We lost a truly great mind.” Sheldon’s face twisted. For a moment, Amy thought he might cry. She’d never seen him cry, or at least not remembered seeing it. Angry yes, sad too, but this sad seemed deeper even than that from when Nimoy passed on. “I almost thought he would live forever. I know that isn’t possible, but still.”

“In a way, he will. No one is going to forget him,” Penny said, smiling gently at Sheldon.

“It’s not the same.”

“No, but I know what you mean,” Amy said. “I know you’re familiar with ALS, but do you truly understand how remarkable Stephen Hawking’s life actually was? Most people die within five years of diagnosis. Less than five percent live more than twenty years. Hawking survived over fifty years. A lot of people in my field were fascinated by him, puzzled even. There were mysteries to unlock there. That he lived so long is astounding.” She was loathed to admit, she was as fascinated by Hawking’s long life from a neurobiology stand point as she was by anything relating to his overwhelming contributions to physics and the understanding of their universe. It might be seen as a little morbid, after all. Oh, how she’d been changed by these people lounging on beach towels. Now she understood better what was meant by over-sharing. Then again, she had offered Bernadette the bridesmaids’ gowns of her dead cousins. 

“My mother would say it’s because Professor Hawking’s work here wasn’t done yet, that God had a plan for him.” Sheldon shrugged. “Maybe there’s something to that. Mother called me about him earlier when she saw it on the news.”

“That was nice of her.” Amy gave his hand a squeeze. Oh, how much he’d been changed by the fact he didn’t even protest it.

“Did you see Neil deGrasse Tyson’s farewell tweet for Professor Hawking?” Raj asked. “It was inspiring.”

“I know it’s just coincidence, but there seems to be something almost cosmic that Hawking was born on the three hundredth anniversary of Galileo’s death and died on Einstein’s birthday,” Leonard said, lying back on the towel. He stared up at the umbrella rubbing his eyes.

“As a Hindu, I’m saying there’s nothing almost about it. It is cosmic. I hope he’s reborn as another physicist, only healthy this time.” Raj scowled. “Howard took me to meet him once, and you could tell he suffered.”

“He took you? I had to beg him to take me.”

“Because you’re always mean to Howard,” Raj replied, and Sheldon shot him a puzzled look even though Amy knew this had been pointed out to him numerous times. Amy understood better than anyone other than Leonard and Sheldon’s Mom that Sheldon had problems socially but there were times she thought he knew exactly what he was doing.

Sheldon shrugged again “I can’t hold it against Howard. He did get me in to see Professor Hawking. It was one of the happiest days of my life.”

And his most embarrassing Amy knew. She wondered he ever admitted to his friends that he had made a huge math mistake and fainted in front of his hero.

“I wish Howard could be here.” Leonard sighed. “He had so many Professor Hawking stories. It seems like a time for sharing them.”

“It’s too early to be out with the baby,” Penny said.

Raj got up, dusting sand off his legs. “I’ll be right back.”

“Probably his bladder again,” Sheldon grumbled.

“I don’t even want to know.” Penny held up a hand.

“I just want to crack Raj’s head open, and see what’s going on in there some days,” Amy said.

“I’m really going to miss him, even if I had to let him win at Words with Friends.”

Leonard smiled. “I know how hard that was for you, buddy.”

“It’s just that all my male role models keep dying. My Dad, Leonard Nimoy, Professor Proton, and now Professor Hawking. It makes me sad.”

“At least you have that crappy phone video of him singing happy birthday to you on Skype,” Penny tried to be chirpy.

“And he’s the one who encouraged me to ask Amy to marry me.” Sheldon shot her a fond look, leaving Amy speechless.

They traded stories until Raj came back with a cardboard rack full of Sweet Rose Creamery ice cream cones. “I thought we’d want something happy to toast Professor Hawking with. Chocolate for you, Sheldon. Cookie Dough for Penny, Matcha for me and Amy, and for Leonard non-dairy-free horchata coconut.”

“Thanks, Raj.” Leonard snagged his and Penny’s ice cream.

Raj handed out the rest of the cones then sat back down. He held out his cone toward the blue surf softly scraping over the sand. “Here’s to your next adventure.”

“Rest in peace, Professor Hawking. You were one of the greats and half the reason I’m a physicist today.” Leonard hefted his cone.

“If I knew a scientist’s name, you know he had to be something special.” Penny smiled.

“Good sir and thank you for all you and your great intellect gave us,” Amy added.

Sheldon held up his cone. “Here’s to his star, which will shine forever.”


End file.
